Country Songwriting

[DorothyWallace]

I'm writing a country song that has a southern rock flavor like Trent Tomlinson. The choruses all have different lyrics, but repeat the title in the last line. I saw a post from someone that said Country choruses should all be the same. Country isn't my strongest style. I'm more of a pop/folk writer. Therefore, I would love to get some feedback from other writers about this. I'm wondering if there are big country hits with choruses with different lyrics. Thanks!

Dorothy

www.taxi.com/dorothywallace

[Len911]

Yes Dorothy, I think all country choruses have to be the same, and also either have the word pickup, or tractor in the chorus also,lol!! And a rock song isn't a rock song unless it has the word baby at least once in the song. I think the "hit" country songs, or any songs for that matter would probably translate well in any genre or style. I am sure there might be a few third rate country singers that would predjudice a song because the words in the chorus were different, and if the late great Conway Twitty put a lot of faith in those stereotypes, he certainly would have never covered The Pointer Sisters song. "Slow Hand". Sounds silly to me. I don't know if having the choruses all the same is a rule or a stereotype, probably doesn't much matter because rules are meant for breaking. What really matters is if the song itself works.

[mojobone]

It's not so much about having the same lyric as having a consistent meter; lots of songs have this sort of "tagline' structure, particularly 'list' songs (That's Why My Gal's Country , Fourteen Reasons Why A Coonhound Is Better Than A Wife) You need a consistent number of syllables per line with the rhythmic accents in same places; it's usually a good idea to change up the meter in a song, but usually not in the middle of a verse, chorus or bridge. Usually the meter is a bit different between the verse and chorus and a lot different for the bridge, especially if the bridge doesn't introduce any new chords. It's generally okay to mix lines with different numbers of syllables, too, say, a line of eight followed by a line of four, then repeated, so long as the verse or chorus section is consistent with itself and the rhymes are in the same place in each verse or chorus. This rule is generally stricter for choruses than verses. None of these are hard and fast rules, and breaking them judiciously can keep you from getting stale-I think of them as road maps to the listener's subconscious; there are lots of routes you can take, but the ones most heavily traveled tend to be the most effective.

[DorothyWallace]

Thanks Mojo,

I didn't know what a list song was. I think my song is a list song. It's sort of like "We didn't Start the Fire" by Billy Joel.

Dorothy

[billg1]

I never comment much on topics concerning country music or country songwriting. I hope this isn't too much of a thread hijack but it should be something of interest to country weiters.

There seems to be a lot of buzz bout the new (old) direction country music may be taking in large part do to the recent success of Ryan Bingham. I've always liked his music but really considered it to be more "Americana" (what do I know?) . . . . Being nominated for a "best original song" oscar means potential $$ for the industry to milk so I bet you're gonna see some changes in what's promoted.

I like him & his music & I think this is a great song, I hope he wins!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7Jf2mcSplw

[cameron]

I hope you're right Bill. That stuff's right up my alley.

Dorothy, sounds like you need to read Cowboy Jack's Clements rules. Some of the greatest writers in the world swear by them:

http://www.cowboyjackclement.com/philosophy/tips/

I personally feel it's OK to change a few key words in the chorus (as Rob George has done in the song we wrote together "A Little Slice Of Life" that I have posted here on peer-to-peer right now), but never change the hook line, and definitely don't do anything that varies the sing-song cadence of your chorus (which I guess is basically what Mojo was saying).

Cam

[Penz2nz]

Dorothy,

I think it was Walt Aldridge who said: "Write what you know, and make it rhyme".

[glender]

Geez, "I hope it's not a crime" to tweak the chorus. (hehe no pun intended) The song I just finished has three different choruses. The hook line doesn't change nor does the structure or the rhyme but I add more info into the chorus each time it comes around. I think it works

Enjoyed the link Cameron

[Casey H]

I'm writing a country song that has a southern rock flavor like Trent Tomlinson. The choruses all have different lyrics, but repeat the title in the last line. I saw a post from someone that said Country choruses should all be the same. Country isn't my strongest style. I'm more of a pop/folk writer. Therefore, I would love to get some feedback from other writers about this. I'm wondering if there are big country hits with choruses with different lyrics. Thanks!

Dorothy

http://www.taxi.com/dorothywallace

Hi Dorothy

Country's a pretty tough nut to crack. It has the highest songwriting "bar" out there. To get a solid publisher to sign a song or get the attention of an aritst, it has to literally walk on water. There are exceptions, but in general, writing a great country song isn't something someone who writes another genre such as pop/rock can just take a shot at. You either spend years honing the craft or it's unlikely you'll find success.

Not meaning to come off super-negative. You may have a great song and I'm commenting without hearing it. It's just that from what I've seen it's rare that someone gets a country placement by just dabbling in country writing.

Nevertheless, when you are ready, I'd love to hear your song! I hope it does kick butt!

Best,
Casey

[theotherchad]

Maybe it's only worth a penny, but when someone spouts a "rule" about any variety of songwriting, my first response is, "if it's really good and it moves people, no one thinks about which rule it follows or breaks."

Of course, that doesn't apply when someone tries to put a sitar track or an operatic vocal on a traditional country song or something like that. You do have to stay within spitting distance of the genre you're working in.